Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos de Atún a la Navarra

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small saucepan for eggs
• •Frying pan, 24cm
• •Fine grater for tomato
• •Small spoon for stuffing

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the eggs

   Put the eggs in a small pan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Cool them under cold water, peel, and chop them small. Keep the pieces visible, not mashed to paste; this filling should have a little body.

2. 2

   Drain the peppers

   Lift the piquillos from the jar and lay them open-side down on kitchen paper for at least 10 minutes. Pat them gently inside and out. Do the same with the bonito or tuna, letting the oil drain well. Wet filling is the enemy here, not lack of cleverness.

3. 3

   Cook the sofrito

   Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat and add the onion with a pinch of the measured salt. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft, dark gold, and sweet. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the grated tomato or crushed tomato, pimentón, and the rest of the salt. Cook 12 to 15 minutes more, until thick enough that a spoon dragged through the pan leaves a clean line. That is the step that makes the peppers hold.

4. 4

   Make the filling

   Scrape the thick tomato sofrito into a bowl and let it cool until only barely warm. Flake in the bonito, add the chopped egg, sherry vinegar, and parsley if using, then fold gently. Taste for salt. The filling should be moist but not loose; if it slides off the spoon, let it sit 5 minutes or add a little more chopped egg.

5. 5

   Fill the piquillos

   Hold each pepper in your palm or lay it on a plate, and spoon in about 25g filling, enough to plump it without splitting the flesh. Close the sides over the filling and set the pepper seam-side down. If one tears, chop it and stir it into the filling. Nadie nace sabiendo, and the cook still eats well.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Arrange the stuffed peppers on a plate, cover, and chill for at least 30 minutes so the filling settles. Serve cool or at room temperature, with a thread of olive oil over the top. For a picnic, keep them cold until you leave and eat them the same day.

Chef Tips

• •Buy whole pimientos del piquillo if you can, preferably from Lodosa. They are smaller and more delicate than ordinary roasted peppers, with a quiet roasted sweetness. If you use jarred roasted red peppers, choose wide pieces, dry them well, and expect a softer bite.
• •Bonito del norte packed in olive oil gives the cleanest filling. If you use ordinary tuna, choose one packed in olive oil and drain it well. Tuna in water makes the filling taste flat and loose.
• •The sofrito, the slow onion and tomato base, must be thick before it meets the tuna. Rush it and you get a wet filling. Cook it down properly and the peppers sit cleanly on the plate.
• •These are good made ahead. They taste better after an hour in the fridge, but bring them out 15 minutes before serving so the oil loosens and the pepper tastes sweet again.

Advance Preparation

• •The eggs can be boiled up to 2 days ahead and kept peeled or unpeeled in the refrigerator.
• •The tomato sofrito can be cooked 2 days ahead; keep it covered and cold, then mix the filling the day you stuff the peppers.
• •The stuffed peppers can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead. Keep covered and refrigerated, then serve cool or at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 180g)